Williston Hitchcock's reopens under new name

Published: Friday, January 11, 2013 at 5:48 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, January 11, 2013 at 5:48 p.m.

Hitchcock's grocery store in Williston has become Williston's Grocery Depot under the same ownership.

The store had shut down in late December before reopening under the new name.

A manager referred calls to Hitchcock's headquarters in Alachua. Several calls there were not returned.

Hitchcock's has nine stores throughout North Central Florida. The Williston location was removed from the company website.

Both Hitchcock's and Grocery Depot are owned by Hometown Supermarkets of Minnetonka, Minn., according to state incorporation records.

Hometown Supermarkets is a division of Haug Enterprises, which purchased the Hitchcock's stores in 2008. Haug also operates SuperValu franchise stores called Cub Foods in Minnesota.

D.J. Wiedmann, assistant manager at the nearby Ladds NAPA Auto Supplies, said that unlike Hitchcock's open floor plan, Grocery Depot is designed to control the flow of customers, with one entrance and one exit.

"They're now set up where they almost herd you in one direction," he said. "The biggest change was they got rid of the deli."

<p>Hitchcock's grocery store in Williston has become Williston's Grocery Depot under the same ownership.</p><p>The store had shut down in late December before reopening under the new name.</p><p>A manager referred calls to Hitchcock's headquarters in Alachua. Several calls there were not returned.</p><p>Hitchcock's has nine stores throughout North Central Florida. The Williston location was removed from the company website.</p><p>Both Hitchcock's and Grocery Depot are owned by Hometown Supermarkets of Minnetonka, Minn., according to state incorporation records.</p><p>Hometown Supermarkets is a division of Haug Enterprises, which purchased the Hitchcock's stores in 2008. Haug also operates SuperValu franchise stores called Cub Foods in Minnesota.</p><p>D.J. Wiedmann, assistant manager at the nearby Ladds NAPA Auto Supplies, said that unlike Hitchcock's open floor plan, Grocery Depot is designed to control the flow of customers, with one entrance and one exit.</p><p>"They're now set up where they almost herd you in one direction," he said. "The biggest change was they got rid of the deli."</p>